And who is my neighbour?

In one of my favourite snippets in the Scriptures, a lawyer, after receiving from Jesus confirmation that he rightly understood the law’s demand to love “your neighbour as yourself ” (Luke 10:27), sought to justify himself by requesting a definition. “And who is my neighbour?” the lawyer snapped back at Jesus (v. 29). He was asking, in effect, “Whom do I have to love?” The lawyer pressed this question, we’re told, to justify his stinginess of heart. He grasped the seemingly impossible demands of the law of neighbour love, and he understood himself to be on the wrong side of the law unless that law could be shrunk down to size.

The lawyer hoped Christ’s demand that he loves his neighbour wasn’t, as it seemed, a demand to love all his neighbours. Certainly, loving the entire cul-de-sac would be sufficient.

To teach the lawyer, Jesus mentioned the story of the good Samaritan. We all know this story all too well.

The law of love that Christ commended was more than a command to “do no harm” and, if need be, to correct the harm we cause. To love as Jesus commanded is to desire someone else’s good as an end in itself. Christ suggests our obligation to love means we must fix messes we didn’t cause and cure injustices for which we weren’t responsible. Christian love is proactive, affirmative, and interventionist. Christian love jumps in to help.

Now the question is: Why am I the keeper of not only my brother but also my neighbour? It has to do with the fact that we all are made in the image of God! Men and women are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27–28), so loving God’s image-bearers is like loving God himself. We must love without regard to our definitions of worthiness because worth is determined by God’s having made others in his image.

To love others is to love the Lord himself (Matt. 25:40). Or as the disciple whom Jesus loved put it, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

So, how can we show love to our fellow parishioners. May I suggest the following: 1) We pray for each other. Through prayer, we relate to each other in a deep spiritual way by desiring the best for our fellow parishioners. At Mass, you may turn to your fellow parishioners and offer your prayers to their needs.2) We serve and support each other. We can offer our talents and volunteer in various ministries. Because we cannot be good at everything, we must also reflect on what is most helpful for our fellow human beings in our parish. 3) Honesty, as a core virtue, is essential for a healthy parish life, fostering trust and strong community bonds. It’s about truthfulness in actions and relationships, promoting transparency and accountability within the parish and in its engagement with the wider community. This includes honesty in communication, financial dealings, and personal interactions, all contributing to a more authentic and vibrant parish experience.